What is mass communications

Mass communications is the term used to describe the academic study of the varies means by which individuals and entities relay information through mass media to large segments of the population at the same time. The history of communication is wide and varied. Around 2900 bc Sumerians developed cuneiform writing. This is what started our most popular topic communication and technology. Writing letters sending emails making phone calls and driving from place to place. these are just some types of communications easy to access. With the printing press being invented in 1455 the fist daily newspaper was sent out in 1650. In 1876 the electric telephone was patented and in 1936 we have the first freely programmable computer was invented. life has become so advanced and portable.

Will new technologies like ebooks replace print books? why or why not?

Technology is on a constant wave of change. Constantly making things easier to access reach and learn. Printed books can never be replaced. For there to be an ebook there has to first be a printed book to copy from. Printed books may be used less but still upheld due to vintage never going out of style. Antiques becoming priceless or shall I say expensive a treasure perhaps. Our past is all we have and alot of history have been placed in books. theres alot in books that ebooks will never know.. no matter how technology changes some things will always remain the same and books are untouchable

what impact did written language have on communication

 

Communication has evolved differently every decade due to someone wanting more. more ways to talk to someone. more ways of knowing about different things from different parts of the world. more ways to learn. written language has path the way for technology. writing puts agreements laws commandments on record. it made the growth of states larger. it made a continuous historical consciousness possible. the command of the priest or king could go far beyond his sight and voice and survive his death. stories can now be told and retold with accuate information. stories can be told and placed on paper for present and future to learn from.

How has the experience of writing the book change Truman? Has it been a positive or a negative change? How do you think it will affect the rest of his life?

Firstly, for those who are unfamiliar with the topic of Copote I will give some background. Truman Copote was the author of "Breakfast at Tiffany's", who was very successful among his peers as a writer. He surrounded himself with other writers and lived, what they called in his time, an alternative lifestyle. He was very flambouyant and confident in his abilities. When it came time for him to focus on a new writing venture, he decided that he wanted to write about true events and set out to research for his new book "In Cold Blood", Truman found himself becoming friends with one of the men accused of murdering a family in Kansas. He continued to build a bond with the gentlemen throughout the trial process and even helped to get new representation for the two accused and convicted killers. Over the couse of about 5 years, Capote attempts to get the killers to open up and explain what happened the night of the murders so that he can finish his book. Once he hears the events, however, he is dissappointed in the outcome because the one that he considered to be the weaker of the two or most like himself, confesses that he has killed everyone on his own. Truman is affected by this information negatively and does not seem to get himself back together again. He was never able to write again after this book. In the movie, we see him withdrawing and feeling sort of ashamed of himself. I think he expected to hear that the killings were done by the other guy and not his friend, who he believed that he knew very well. I think that in the end, he questioned his on morality and found himself lacking and thats why he was unable to write anything else.

Rashomon Phenomenon

The Rashamon phenomenon is simply the way that we gather and interpret information in our own minds and distinguish truth from falseness. Simply put, it is the way that we each rationalize and interpret what is being told to us. This is how two individuals can see the same movie or show and come up with two very different purposes or interpretations of what it was about. It is objectivity at its finest.

In the movie, I was drawn to the story of the wood cutter. He was not directly linked to the murder and rape, but was a witness to events. While it became clear in the end, he initially lied because he did not want to get involved with what was going on, he presented the story that showed little signs of self preservation. With each of the other stories, each character seemed to be telling events that made them victims in a since (the woman) and heroic in others (dead man) or overly strong (the bandit). Each character presented the need to tell the story in their favor except for the woodcutter. Even after admitting that he had lied, the woodcutter showed his humanity in telling the story and he told it while confirming events told by each of the other parties involved but with an unbiased and un-sensationalized viewpoint. After being humiliated by the beggar to whom he was telling the story, he continued to show his honesty and need to make amends by taking the infant home to be raised by him and his wife.

one way v. two way communication

So the subject of one way and two way communication came up in class. First, I wanted to make clear what one way and two way communications really is. One way communication is when information is given with the intent to inform and is not expected to have a response. For instance, at work, a memo informing of an important meeting or new policy changes would be considered one way communications. So it is easy to draw the conclusion that two way communication is when information is given with the purpose of drawing responses. A good scenario for this would be in a staff meeting or brainstorming session where an idea or problem is presented with the express purpose of drawing ideas from others in the room. Two way communications can easily be considered to be the better of the two. It gets all parties involved and allows them to feel a since of motivation towards any issue of task. It creates hope and good overall communication from all parties.

Why should we Study the media of early civilizations

Studying the advancements of early cultures is important because it allows for us to not only continue to push ourselves to improve upon the way that we see media and do things, but it allows us to understand just how far we have come as a society. It is also helpful to see that some of the techniques that were used in earlier times are still being put into play today. Looking back, helps us to understand how we got where we are today as well. Where would we be without the documented scribes of the past? Scribes could be considered to be some of the first forms of journalism. They helped to translate information from one party to another and while we are in the increased technology phase, the ways of the past still are relevant in today’s society.

Why we watch Rashomon

In class we watched the film Rashomon. It was very interesting to say the least and brought up a great discussion for the class. The question is, why watch a movie like Rashomon in a communications class. Well here goes. First, the movie is about the different perspectives of those involved in a rape and murder. Each person’s views of the events were different and it is often that way with anything. It is important in communications to understand that each person is going to add or subtract things from the way that they interpret things and no one is ever going to see anything the same. With the idea of mass media, each source seems to spin a story in the direction that is pleasing to them to get their ratings up. Big issues concerning the Country like the Trayvonne Martin case and the presidential election are both examples of how media play a role in swaying listeners and readers to one side or another. Very rarely is the issue addressed in a non-biased manor. To understand communications, one must understand the multidimensional purpose.